Tarrytown residents worry theywill be bothered by work trucks

May 9, 2013

Rendering of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Written by

Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed

Residents are finally getting details on how their neighborhoods will be protected during construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, but not everyone is convinced those measures will be enough.

In the tiny Tarrytown neighborhood of Irving, which sits next to the current bridge’s toll plaza, homeowners have asked the state for permanent sound barriers and assurances that long lines of trucks won’t rumble through their neighborhood. At a meeting with Tappan Zee Constructors and the state last week, homeowners learned a temporary wooden wall — not a concrete barrier — will be put up near Hudson Place, said Tori Weisel, president of the Irving Neighborhood Preservation Association. Several homes on Hudson Place sit next to a Thruway Authority maintenance road that will be used during the project.

Officials also said the Thruway’s dirt road will be covered with gravel. Residents are worried that won’t absorb truck vibrations as well as a hard surface, Weisel said.

It’s also still unclear how many trucks will use Van Wart Avenue to access Thruway property.

“It’s less about the construction and more about these trucks going by,” she said.

Residents were satisfied, however, to hear that the project team will conduct preconstruction surveys of properties on request. The surveys will document property conditions in case there is a later claim of damage. Homeowners on Tappan Landing Road in Tarrytown are also being offered the surveys.

In South Nyack, concerns remain about the location of devices that will track noise, dust and vibration levels.

Tappan Zee Constructors has proposed installing four devices in Rockland. Two would be in South Nyack at Salisbury Point Co-Operative and either at Elizabeth Park or South Nyack Village Hall but more may be needed, said South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian. The builder has proposed putting a monitor in Grand View and at Interchage 12 in West Nyack but will explore additional locations, state officials said.

The village also wants a written commitment that electronic tolling equipment set to go up on the Thruway in South Nyack will be removed after the new bridge is completed in 2018. Christian wants it added to the Thruway’s agreement with Tappan Zee Constructors.

Project officials said that the final environmental study has been changed to reflect the temporary toll location and that the permanent toll plaza will return to Tarrytown. The Federal Highway Administration recently approved the change, they said Wednesday.